NIA attaches more assets of gangster groups in terror-criminal nexus case

NEW DELHI: The NIA on Tuesday attached five more properties in Haryana and Delhi belonging to three major organised crime syndicates after intensifying its investigations against terrorist-criminal networks. 

The counter-terrorism agency had earlier intensified its probe into the organised crime syndicates operated by Pak-based Harvinder Rinda, Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha group. According to NIA sources, the properties were owned by members of the syndicates operating in the northern States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. Tuesday’s attachments follow similar attachments of 5 properties (4 in Haryana and 1 in Delhi) on March 4, 2023.

The Properties attached on Tuesday were found to be acquired from funds generated by carrying out different types of terrorist and criminal extortion activities and were the ‘proceeds of terrorism’, as they were being used for hatching terror conspiracies and execution of crimes.

According to the NIA spokesperson, the properties attached in the operation included the residence of Chhotu Ram alias Bhat at Chautala (district Sirsa), the residence of Jagseer Singh alias Jagga also known as Jagga Sarpanch at Takhatmal (district Sirsa), the property of Virender Singh alias Kala Rana in district Yamuna Nagar and land belonging to Raju alias Mota, resident of  Basaudi in district Sonipat in Haryana and the land of Satyawan Sehrawat alias Sonu at Dariyapur in Delhi.

Through Tuesday’s operation, the NIA has hit the weapons supply chain of this network.

The NIA official said that Virender, Ram and Singh had been providing weapons and arranging logistics, including safe sanctuaries, to the gang members. Satyawan had also harboured gangsters while Raju used to launder money by investing in real estate business and other businesses, including liquor, the official said. They had a major role to play in the generation of funds to support the operations of terror-crime syndicates.

The counter-terrorism agency has carried out over 230 raids and searches across Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi NCR, arrested 27 gangster leaders, recovered around 38 weapons, and froze 87 bank accounts since it launched its drive against organised crime syndicates in August 2022.

In addition, Canada-based Arsh Dalla and Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda have been listed as ‘terrorists’ by the MHA under UAPA in the recent past.

The drive aims at crippling the funding of the organised crime network and dismantling their ecosystem by attaching and seizing their properties; derived from ‘proceeds of terrorism and crime’.

The crackdown would be intensified in the coming days, along with Police forces of various states, the NIA spokesperson said.